Ballad of the Monon Bell is Recorded in Nashville

October 15, 1985

October 15, 1985, Greencastle, Ind. — One of college football's oldest and most celebrated rivalries now has a song. Today a team of musicians led by Jimmy Ibbotson, a member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and 1969 graduate of DePauw, recorded The Ballad of the Monon Bell in Nashville, Tennessee. The song can be heard here, and will soon be made available to alumni and fans of the annual football game between DePauw and Wabash College, a rivalry which dates back to 1890 and awards the winner the prized railroad bell.

Ballad was the brainchild of Pat Aikman '57, the director of public relations for DePauw. Aikman approached Darel Lindquist '68 to work up a set of lyrics, which he delivered in the spring. The project was then handed to Nancy Ford '57, whose musical credits include Broadway's I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road. The next link in the chain was Ibbotson, who worked up a country and western arrangement and brought together a group of musical friends for today's recording session. (at right: a shot from the 1959 Monon Bell game)

Lindquist, Ford and Ibbotson have assigned their rights to the new song to the University. It is hoped the song will become a new tradition in a series that is rich with great legends.